NASA captures awe-inspiring images of twin hurricanes charging towards Hawaii

Hawaii is bracing for 'unprecedented' winds and rains as twin hurricanes move towards its main island.

Twin hurricanes are churning in the direction of Hawaii. Source: NASA

Close to 200,000 Hawaiian residents are preparing to bunker down as Hurricane Lester and Hurricane Madeline make their way across the Pacific Ocean towards the Big Island.

The twin hurricanes are expected to near the island within the next 24 hours.

Hurricane Madeline, a Category 3 storm that can generate winds between 170 and 210 kilometres per hour with sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour, may come close to the Big Island, officials said.

Madeline (right) is depicted in this image taken by the VIIRS instrument on the NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite. Source: NASA

It is anticipated that as soon as Hurricane Madeline passes, Hurricane Lester, a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour, will come close to the island, however officials say by that time it may have lost some of its strength.

The image below, taken from the International Space Station, shows Hurricane Lester in action.

Source: NASA

The following image, also taken from the International Space Station, shows Hurricane Madeline.

Source: NASA